A Friend...

A Friend from Kieren Moriarty on Vimeo.

This week's poem is our first for a long time. It has a strong message. We are so lucky when we have friends.

A Friend...

A friend is someone who borrows your ball

And returns it to you later in the day;

Who will lend their newest pens - and will play

Your games. Who’ll come around to your house

  and call

For you in rain as well as when it’s fine;

Who’ll listen to your secrets, share your fears,

lend a shoulder when your eyes are full of tears

And won’t divide things into ‘yours’ and ‘mine’.

A friend will peel the plaster gently off your cut

And a friend won’t say ‘Yuk!’. A friend laughs at your jokes

When others just go ‘Eh?’; who likes you but

Will tell you when you’re wrong; who strokes

Your favourite pet in spite of all the fleas -

Who knows your family but, when invited, says

  ‘Yes, please!’

Trevor Millum

The Sound Collector

listen to ‘The Sound Collector’ on Audioboo

The Sound Collector 

A stranger called this morning
Dressed all in black and grey
Put every sound into a bag
And carried them away.

The whistling of the kettle
The turning of the lock
The purring of the kitten
The ticking of the clock

The popping of the toaster
The crunching of the flakes
When you spread the marmalade
The scraping sound it makes

The hissing of the frying-pan
The ticking of the grill
The bubbling of the bathtub
As it starts to fill

The drumming of the raindrops
On the window-pane
When you do the washing-up
The gurgle of the drain

The crying of the baby
The squeaking of the chair
The swishing of the curtain
The creaking of the stair

A stranger called this morning
He didn't leave his name
Left us only silence
Life will never be the same.

 ROGER MCGOUGH

listen to ‘The Sound Collector (fast)’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Sound Collector - beginning’ on Audioboo

What Am I?

What Am I from Kieren Moriarty on Vimeo.

The Stormtroopers literacy group read a new poem today. We recorded it on the iPad and then listened back to ourselves. Everyone improved after their first and then their second try. I think the Stormtroopers showed good reading skills! We guessed what the answer to the riddle in the poem is. Can you?

I Have Always Been Lucky

I have always been lucky.

When I was seven

my parents gave me a red bicycle.    

I rode it every day until

it became a part of me.

~taken from James Brown's poem, The Bicycle.

Here is a video showcasing audio highlights from some of our poems based on The Bicycle by James Brown. You can find the full poems and more on the Tree of PRIDE branches (student blogs) to the side.



Superstar Poems from Kieren Moriarty on Vimeo.

Here are links to the poems:

• My Laptop by Imaan (Presented with Sock Puppets)
• My Rugby Ball by Crighton (Presented with Voki)
• The Scooter Poem by Emma (Presented with Sock Puppets)
• The Cricket Ball by Joshua (Presented with audio player)
• The Scooter by Me (Bree) (Presented with audio player)
• My First Motorbike by Tracey (Presented with audio player)
• My First Music Toy by Hemani (Presented with audio player)
• My iPod by Hannah (Presented with audio player)
• The Computer Poem by Zeb (Vocaroo audio player)
• My Own Blackberry Phone by Shivom (Vocaroo audio player)
• My New Dog by Liam (Sock Puppets)

How to Swim a Length Under Water

Today the Jedi Knights read "How to Swim a Length Under Water". We are learning to visualise and the students drew very quick visualising texts showing the words that put pictures in their heads. We then had to go at trying to recite the poem in one breath, with some hilarious results. Play the podcast if you want to hear my effort!